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EL HIJO DE LA AURORA
Peruvian band EL HIJO DE LA AURORA (means "Son Of The Dawn") was formed in Lima in May 2008. Following the departure from his previous band DON JUAN MATUS, drummer, composer, and sound-producer Joaquin Cuadra hooked up with another DJM member, guitarist Manolo Garfias and returned to the MCA Studios to record the first EHDLA’s album, Lemuria which was released by a Peruvian independent record-label Espiritus Inmundos in late December 2008. In winter 2009, EL HIJO DE LA AURORA contributed their song “Portal A Venus” to a free-to-download compilation DIRGENERA Compendium II at RAIG's Accessory Takes. The current EHDLA's line-up features: Joaquin Cuadra (drums, fx), Manolo Garfias (guitars, bass), and Rafael Cantoni (vocals). Be sure to visit EHDLA page at MyspaceMusic. Aleks Evdokimov's (Doommantia, USA) interview with EL HIJO DE LA AURORA (24.03.2010) RELEASES
Wicca is the second album by the Peruvian doom trio EL HIJO DE LA AURORA which consists now of Joaquin Cuadra (drums, fx), Manolo Garfias (guitar, bass), and Rafael Cantoni (lead vocals). It is about “spells, magic and witchcraft through the ages”, and inspired, as you might guess, by Wiccan views of divinity, esoteric and philosophical books, as well as old horror movies. The music is noticeably different from their debut work. Based on groovy riffing combined with the lively drum work and emotional singing in Spanish, it is more song-oriented, more focused, intense, and heavier. All songs are well rooted in the 70’s heavy-rock tradition and deliver lots of threatening vibes. Most of the tracks feature guest appearances from Tania Duarte, Marcos Coifman, and Julio Almeida of REINO ERMITANO on vocals, Saul Cornejo of LAGHONIA and Miguel Yance on Hammond and moog. The band explores psychedelic-doom or occult-doom sound concept but definitely flavor their stew with some original and uncommon spices. Produced by Joaquin Cuadra. Original graphics and artwork concept by Elena Pankratova. Layout by ZonderZond. (8 tracks - 45 min.). Track 1 "El Ojo Hipnotico (Intro)" and Track 2 "Der Golem" are both located on Track 1 and are played as a single track. They are not 2 separate tracks as it appears on the back of the CD. We apologize for any confusion. Free streaming or immediate digital download of the album (in your choice of MP3-320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire) is available through Official R.A.I.G. Bandcamp. PRESS CLIPS "Yes, there is 100's of bands out there playing up the occult, witchcraft angle in doom-metal but very few deliver it in a way that isn't recycled or formulaic, EL HIJO DE LA AURORA are one of those rare bands you can listen to without the feeling you have heard it all before somewhere. The emotional vocals are sung in Spanish but I never really noticed it, the music, the grooves, the melodies are so strong that the language is universal. This is an exceptional release from one of the most underrated bands in the world at the moment. (Score: 9.5/10)" – by Ed Barnard at Doommantia (USA) (March 2011). "Wicca isn't always easy to pin down or draw obvious reference points from, so in effect it ends up coming across as something you haven't heard before. The magnificent looking artwork and graphics are also worthy of mention. Wicca is hands down one of the most refreshing albums that I've ever come across in this genre of music. (Score: 4.5/5)" – by Ryan Sparks of Sea Of Tranquility (USA) (April 2011). "Wicca is a more active-feeling album than what Lemuria, but nothing feels sacrificed in terms of ambience, and the blend of classic riffage and doom that El Hijo de la Aurora proffered there remains one of the strongest assets here... What’s abundantly clear is that El Hijo de la Aurora have hit upon a highly individualistic take on doom and classic rock, peppered with elements even further outside of either genre and yet not inappropriate in their inclusion." – by H.P. Taskmaster at The Obelisk (USA) (April 2011). "They smell like magic! Magic mixed to a colourful folk dance in a blurry cloud of esoteric perfumes... Although rather intricate, the music flows naturally, effortless, always keeping a strong presence and a rough primeval force. The range of emotions and sonic colours is really surprisingly varied: as the album develops, shifting from one long epic to a minimalist folk song, you never stop looking everywhere with amazement: just now, you are granted with a mournful nocturnal crooning show, and the next step, you’re surrended by bouncing notes, groovy chords that swing like the best seventies prog bands... A great trip to unknown lands!" – by Bertrand Marchal at Doom-metal.com (Belgium) (April 2011). The album was also reviewed at: Rate Your Music (USA), Metal Kaoz (Greece), Prog Sphere (Serbia), Doommantia's interview with EHDLA (USA), Metal Library (Russia), Metal Library's interview with EHDLA (Russia), Psychotropic Zone (Finland), Deaf Sparrow (USA), Something Sweet To Throw Away (Australia). El Hijo De La Aurora / Lemuria (2009) / CD N/A
Performed and recorded by Joaquin Cuadra (drums, effects), Manuel Garfias (guitars, bass), and Arian Lora (effects, theremin) in Lima, Peru (May-December, 2008). Guest appearances: Elleen Burhum (vocal), Tania Duarte and Marcos Coifman of REINO ERMITANO (vocals), Eloy Cerron (vocal), Saul Cornejo of LAGHONIA (hammond organ), Gary Grandez (synthesizer), Christian Van Lacke of TLON (vocal), Miguel Yance (synthesizer, moog, hammond organ). Produced by Joaquin Cuadra. Published by a Peruvian independent record-label Espiritus Inmundos. (6 tracks - 40 min.) PRESS CLIPS "The album is book-ended by Lemuria (Parte I-IV) and Lemuria (Parte V - VII), so that is where my review begins. The first part of Lemuria is broken up into 4 very different parts which basically switch between Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath type sounds to The Melvins with traces of everything in-between. There is a very intense atmosphere created as guitar locks in with the drums and delivering a vibe that can only be described as threatening. When the album moves in the second track titled 'Deus Sol Invictus', the band really nails a sound that works for them best in my opinion. The groove based riffing combined with the lively drum work is exciting but its all over way too quickly. The same can be said for 'Portal A Venus' although this number features a guest appearance from Reino Ermitano vocalist Tania Duarte. Her rough but yet mesmerizing style adds much intensity to the song. She is only one of many guest musicians on Lumuria but these guest spots provide some of the real highlights to the recording. Duarte also makes a less noticeable appearance in 'Cuervo Negro' which features some great Hammond organ work, listening to how they present the instrument shows they must have a real love for the Hammond organ bands of the early 70's. 'Atma' is the only real happy moment on the album as it features great acoustic work from Garfias and add to that the breathy, melodic vocals of Christian Van Lacke from Tlon and you have a track that is something that would have been right at home on many underground 70's rock albums. That track leads you into the extended closer which is the second half of Lemuria. The band takes the album back into a Doom/Drone feel which is the style the album uses the most of despite its more straight-forward 70's rock passages that seem to be the most memorable overall. At times it pushes into Progressive Rock land especially during part six which sounds very much like King Crimson. Yet another guest vocalist, this time its Elleen Burhum. Its around this point where things get a little tough to listen to depending on your tastes in vocal styles. Nothing bad vocal wise but they just seem to go on and on and on where more musical twists and turns could have been more effective. Apart from that minor hiccup, this album packs a hell of a lot of different sounds into just 40 minutes and because of its ever changing musical sound-scapes, it never gets too tedious. This is a album that will appeal to fans of bands like Boris due to its ability not to be tied down to any one musical structure or formula. Unique and a interesting release. (score: 8/10)" – by Ed Barnard at Doommantia (USA) (June 2010). The album was also reviewed at: Psyche Folk (Belgium), Planet Fuzz (Australia), Electric Magic (Germany), Metal Library (Russia), Metal Library's interview with EHDLA (Russia), The Obelisk (USA), Metal Library (2) (Russia). OFFICIAL DISCOGRAPHY
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